Locking means for incandescent lamps.



4 H. ALT-SHUL. I .LOCKING MEANS FOR INCANDESCENT LAMPS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC-27, I9 I3- 1,191,934, PatentedJu1y18,-1916.

HENRY ALTSHUL, 0F HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

LOCKING MEANS FOR INCANDESCENT LAMPS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J uly 18, 1916.

Application filed December 27, 1913. Serial No. 808,982.

To all whom it may concern: 4

Be it known that I, HENRY ALTsH L, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hartford, Hartford county, in the State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Locking Means for Incandescent Lamps, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

My invention relates to improvements in incandescent electric lamps, and the same has for its object more particularly to pro- .vide a socket and an incandescent lamp having a base so constructed that the same may be readily inserted into' said socket, but when once inserted the same cannot be removed without destroying one of the contacts of said lamp, and thereby rendering the same unfit for use.

Further said invention has for its object to provide a lamp base with a frangible contact which is adapted to engage partly with a cooperating member adapted to be secured within said socket and which will permit of the ready securement of the lamp within said socket, but will prevent the removal of said lamp without breaking said frangible contact, and then render the lamp unfit for use until the sameis provided with a new frangible contact.

Further said invention has for its object to provide a lamp socket with a locking member which may be made originally as a part of the socket, or, be made subsequently and fitted thereto.

To the attainment of the aforesaid objects and ends my invention consists in the novel use of construction and in the combination, connection, and arrangement of parts hereinafter mercifully described and ,then pointed out in?the claims.

In the accompanyingfdrawings, wherein like numerals of reference indicate like parts Figure 1 isa side elevation partly broken away and in section, showing a lamp and socket constructed according to and embodying my said invention; the lamp be ing shown in position for insertion into the socket; Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the lamp base in operative engagement with its socket; Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail side view partly in section, showing the construction of the frangible contact; Fig. 4 is an enlarged bottom view showing the interior of the socket and the lockin member therein which engages with said frangible contact;

Fig. 5 is a detail side view of the .insulating head disposed within said socket, and the screw-threaded sleeve secured thereto and provided with means for securing the locking member against rotation therein, and Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail perspective view of the locking member adapted to be secured within the lamp socket.

In said drawings 10 designates an incandescent lamp of the usual general construction comprising a bulb 11, a base 12 and a filament 13. The base 12 is formed essentially of a sealing agent 14, formed of insulating material, and a metallic sheath or screw-threaded portion 15'which surrounds said sealing agent 14, and is connected to one terminal 13 of the filament 13. The top of said base 12 terminates in a tapered or frusto-conical portion 16 within which is imbedded the other terminal ofthe filament 17 denotes a' circular contact member formed of metal having a central raised portion 17? adapted to be fitted upon and secured to the frusto-conical portion 16 of the lamp base 12 and frangibly connected to the filament terminal 13 embedded in said base. The outer edge of said disklike member 17 isslit radially to form members or blades 18, 18 which are bent slightly downwardly. Each of said members or blades 18,

18 has its end transversely inclined, as shown at Fig. 1, so that one of' the radial edges thereof lies in a horizontal plane above that of the normal circular line of the edge of said contact'member.

The socket member 19 may be of any well known type or form. In the accompanying drawings I have shown the same as comprising an outershell or casing 20 within which is secured a rigid insulating member I 21', preferably made of porcelain having the base of a screw-threaded sleeve member 22 secured thereto.

The sleeve member 22 is cut out adjacent to its upper edge to receive the lower end of a contact member 23 whichis disposed, centrally within the screw-threaded sleeve member 22, and insulated therefrom by a disk ofmica or other suitable non-conducting material 24. The upper end of said contact 23 is adapted for connection with one conductor leading from a source of electric. supply, while the threaded sleeve member 22 is adapted for connection, through the material and made circular in Outline.

medium of the switch or circuit closer 25,

with the other conductor leading from said source of electric supply.

26 denotes a locking member which is formed of fiber, or other suitable insulating said disk is provided with a central opening 27 to receive the raised central portion 17 0f the frangible contact member 17 on the lamp base, and a slight depression 27 in its upper surface to accommodate the horizontal portion of the contact member 23. The said disk is also provided with a series of radial slits producing downwardly-extending members or blades 28, 28 which have .their edges turned slightly in the direction opposite to that of the members or blades 18, 18 of the frangible contact 17.

The locking member 26 is formed of suchv correspondingly-shaped, inwardly-extending projections or indentations 29, 29, which will engage with the recesses or indentations 28 28' provided in the edges of the membersor blades 28, 28 of said locking mem-' ber 26.

The operation of the device will be obvious from the foregoing. It may be stated,

however, that in order to prevent the removal of a lamp from the socket it merely becomes necessary .to-insert, first, the locking member 26 within the sleeve member 22 of the socket.v Hereupon the base of the lamp is inserted into the socket, and screwed 7 home therein in the usual manner. As the upper side of the frangibly-secured contact member 17, and the members18,-18 thereof,

contact with the under sidejof Sald lOl'OklDg member 26, and with the members 28,-' 28 thereof, the rotation or screwing action of the lamp will not be interfered with' nor prevented until the upper surface of the central, raised portion or projection 17 of said contact 17 strikes the contact 23 of the less resilient the same will readily pass below' -the depressed edges of the members 28, 28

socket. As the members 18, 18 are more or of the locking member 26, and interlock therewith. If any attempt be now made to remove the lamp from the socketthe un- 3 screwing action will be prevented owing to the raised-edges of the members 18, 18, of

' the contact member 17 striking against the The depressed edges of the members 28, 28 of the locking member 26, and thereby arresting all rotary movement of the lamp. Should the unscrewing action be persisted in, it will result in the. rupturing of the connection between the terminal 13 of the lamp and the contact 17, and thus destroy the operation of the lamp.

It will be observed that by means of my invention I ain enabled to provide a locking device which requires merely the attachment of an inexpensive frangible contact member to any ordinary form or type of lamp, and the mere insertion of a cooperating locking member into the lamp socket without altering its construction, no matter what its form or type may be.

Having thus described my said invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is,

1. The-combination with an electric lamp and a socket, of a contact member frangibly secured to one of the terminals of said lamp and comprising locking means, and means within said socket adapted to engage the locking means of said contact member when the lamp is secured to the socket whereby to prevent the removal of the lamp from the socket without detaching said contact memgeld from the terminal, substantially as speci- 2. The combination with an electric lamp and a socket, of a contact member frangibly secured to one of the terminals of said lamp, and a cooperating member within said socket, said' contact member and said cooperating member being provided with coacting locking means for locking the lamp within thesocket whereby to prevent the removal of the lamp from the socket without detaching said contact member from the terminal, substantially as specified.

3., The combination with an electric lamp and a socket, of a locking device comprising a-contact member frangibly secured to said lamp and connected to one of the terminals thereof, engageable means on said contact member, and a cooperating locking member secured to said base, engaging means on said locking member adapted to interlock with -the engageable means on said frangible member, whereby to prevent the removal of said lamp from said socket without sever ing'said frangible member from said lamp, and said terminal, substantially asspecified.

4. The combination with an electric lamp and a socket, of' a locking device comprising a' contact member frangibly secured to one terminal of said lamp, a series of radial member's extending outwardly from said contact member, and a cooperating member secured within said socket, a series of radial members secured to said cooperating member adapted to interlock with the radial members of said contact member whereby to and a socket, of a locking device comprising terminal of said lamp, a series of inclined prevent the removal of said lamp from said socket without rupturing the connection between said contact member and the lamp terminal secured thereto, specified.

5. The combination with an electric lamp and a socket, of a locking device comprising a contact member frangibly secured to one terminal of said lamp, a series of inclined resilient members extending radially outwardly from said contact member, and a cooperating member formed of insulating material secured within said socket and provided with an opening to receive the contact member above specified of said lamp, and a series of inclined radial members adapted to interlock with the radial members of said contact member whereby to prevent the removal ofsaid lamp from said socket without severing said contact member from the lamp terminal connected thereto, substantially as specified.

6. The combination with an electric lamp a contact member frangibly connected to one resilient members extending downwardly and outwardly from said contact member and having their ends transversely inclined, a cooperating member formed of insulatirg material having a central opening adapt to receive the contact member above specified on said lamp, and inclined radial mem bers arranged along the edge of said co operating member havin their .ends inclined transversely in a irection opposite to that of the resilient members extending from the contact member secured to said lamp, and adaptedto interlock therewith, whereby to prevent the removal of the lamp .from said socket without severing said consubstantially as l tact member from the lamp terminal con-.

'member having their ends inclined transversely in a direction opposite to that of. the resilient members extending from the con? tact member secured to said lamp, and

and inclined radial members adapted'to interlock therewith whereby to prevent the removal of the lamp from said socket without severing said contact member from the lamp terminal connected there- .to, certain of the radial members of said cooperating member being provided with recesses in their edges, and inwardly extending projections arranged in .said socket.

adapted to engage with the recesses inthe edges of the radial members of said cooperating member for securing said cooperating member against rotation within saidbracket, substantially as specified.

Signed at Hartford, Hartford county, in

thaState of Connecticut, this 25th day of November, one thousand nine hundred and thirteen.

HENRY ALTSHUL. Witnesses:

CHARLES P. TRUMBU'LZ," ROBERT A. Po'rrER. 

